DOE invites public comment on Draft Environmental Assessment for the use of DOE-owned High Assay
Low-Enriched Uranium Stored at INL

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) invites the public to review and comment on a draft environmental assessment for a proposal to fabricate fuel
at Idaho National Laboratory's Materials and Fuels Complex (MFC) and/or the Idaho Nuclear Technology and Engineering Center (INTEC) to support
efforts by U.S. companies to develop and deploy new reactor technologies.

Under requirements of an Environmental Impact Statement performed in 2000, DOE uses an electrorefiner at MFC to refine and down-blend spent fuel
that contains highly-enriched uranium material generated decades ago in the Experimental Breeder Reactor-II
(EBR-II). This produces high-assay low-enriched
uranium (HALEU) that is currently stored at the INL. DOE proposes expanding capabilities at MFC and INTEC to convert this metallic HALEU into fuel for
research and development purposes. HALEU contains a higher enrichment (by percentage) of uranium-235 -- a fissile isotope in nuclear fuel that produces
energy -- than fuel used in the current fleet of U.S. power reactors. Conventional light water reactors (LWRs) use low-enriched uranium (LEU) fuel,
(3 to 5 percent uranium-235) while HALEU contains between 5 and 20 percent.

Currently, there are no commercial facilities in the U.S. immediately capable of producing HALEU, and several advanced reactor designers have expressed
interest in using HALEU fuel with their designs to achieve higher efficiencies and longer core lifetimes.

"There are several U.S. companies pursuing advanced reactor designs that would use fuel enriched with higher levels of uranium-235, and need a source
so they can conduct the research and development needed to bring these new technologies to market," DOE Deputy Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Technology
Research and Development John Herczeg said. "Being able to provide a source of this fuel would support this research and development and aligns with the
Office of Nuclear Energy's mission to advance nuclear power as a resource capable of meeting the nation's energy, environmental and national security needs."

The federal government proposes fabricating approximately 10 metric tons of HALEU nuclear reactor fuel, to support near-term research,
development and demonstration needs of private-sector developers and government agencies, including advanced reactor developers. The
preferred action identified in the Environmental Assessment calls for establishing the capability at INL to fabricate HALEU ceramic and
metallic fuels from the HALEU produced through the electrometallurgical treatment system currently operating at INL, and by using other small quantities
of HALEU stored at INL. Most of the HALEU to be used for fuel fabrication results from the processing and treatment of used fuel from the now-decommissioned
EBR-II reactor.

The 30-day public comment period on the draft environmental assessment will conclude on November 30, 2018.
Comments can be submitted by mail to David Herrin, 1955 Fremont Ave., 83415-1222 or by email to haleu@id.doe.gov.
Paper copies of the document are available on request.

WASHINGTON, D.C. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced funding selections for eleven domestic advanced nuclear technology projects.
These projects, located across six states, will receive varying amounts for a total of approximately $18 million in funding, with project values totaling
approximately $25 million. The projects are cost-shared and will allow industry-led teams, including participants from federal agencies, public and private
laboratories, institutions of higher education, and other domestic entities,to advance the state of U.S. commercial nuclear capability.

“Nuclear energy plays an increasingly important role in reaching our country’s clean energy and economic goals,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Rick Perry.
“These awards are prime examples of the private-public partnerships needed to help successfully develop and deploy innovative domestic nuclear technologies.”

The awards are through the Office of Nuclear Energy’s (NE) funding opportunity announcement (FOA) U.S. Industry Opportunities for Advanced Nuclear
Technology Development. This is the third round of funding through this FOA.
The first group
was announced on April 27 and
the second group was
announced on July 10. The total of the three rounds of awards is approximately $98 million. The awards also include vouchers through the Gateway
for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear (GAIN) initiative. Subsequent quarterly application review and selection processes will be conducted over
the next four years.

The solicitation is broken into three funding pathways:

1.First-of-a-Kind (FOAK) Nuclear Demonstration Readiness Project pathway, intended to address major advanced reactor design development
projects or complex technology advancements for existing plants which have significant technical and licensing risk and have the potential
to be deployed by the mid-to-late 2020s.

2. Advanced Reactor Development Projects pathway, which allows a broad scope of proposed concepts and ideas that are best suited to
improving the capabilities and commercialization potential of advanced reactor designs and technologies.

The following project was selected under the FOAK Nuclear Demonstration Readiness Project pathway:

Integral and Separate Effects Test Program for the Investigation and Validation of Passive Safety System Performance of SMRs
- Phase 1 Only – SMR, LLC (Camden, NJ) will develop a uniquely configurable set of testing platforms to demonstrate small modular
reactor (SMR) passive safety system performance, accelerate the SMR-160 and other SMR designs to market, and help license these
designs with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and international regulators.

DOE Funding: $1,624,729; Non-DOE: $1,624,729; Total Value: $3,249,458

The following four projects were selected under the Advanced Reactor Development Projects pathway:

Development of Cable Aging Acceptance Criteria for Nuclear Facilities – This work proposed by Analysis and Measurement
Services Corporation (Knoxville, TN) aims to develop acceptance criteria for mechanical, electrical, thermal, and chemical condition
monitoring tests that trend with age-related degradation of electrical cables.

DOE Funding: $2,812,547; Non-DOE: $703,137; Total: $3,515,684

Modeling and Analysis of Exelon Boiling Water Reactors (BWRs) for Eigenvalue & Thermal Limits Predictability
– Under this proposal, Exelon Generation (Kennett Square, PA) will provide a deeper understanding of BWR core behavior
(including Exelon’s 15 BWRs) using the reactor modeling tool Virtual Environment for Reactor Applications (VERA). This will lead to
improved core performance predictions for BWRs including reactivity and thermal margins, which has a direct, positive economic impact
in terms of cycle energy production and fuel costs.

DOE Funding: $5,000,000; Non-DOE: $1,740,000; Total Value: $6,740,000

Establishing Modular In-Chamber Electron Beam Welding
– The Electric Power Research Institute (Palo Alto, CA) will demonstrate the capability to produce large, thick-section components to
support nuclear production in the United States via Modular In-Chamber Electron Beam Welding.

DOE Funding: $2,925,057; Non-DOE: $731,265; Total Value: $3,656,322

Integrated Risk-Informed Condition Based Maintenance Capability and Automated Platform
– A team comprised of Public Services Enterprise & Group (PSE&G) Nuclear, LLC, Idaho National Laboratory, and Rolls-Royce North America
(Moon Township, PA) will develop and perform pilot implementation of a fully integrated risk-informed condition based maintenance capability,
on an automated platform. The key outcome of this project, when implemented, is significantly reduced O&M costs associated with time-based
maintenance, across the U.S. nuclear fleet.

DOE Funding: $3,567,190; Non-DOE: $891,798; Total Value: $4,458,988

The following project was selected under the Regulatory Assistance Grant pathway:

TEUSA-USNRC Pre-Licensing Activities for the Integral Molten Salt Reactor (IMSR®) Terrestrial Energy USA (New York, NY) will conduct
pre-application interactions with the US NRC to advance the progress of licensing the IMSR®.

DOE Funding: $499,232; Non-DOE: $124,808; Total Value: $624,040

DOE has selected five companies to receive technology development vouchers under the GAIN program. The companies selected are Westinghouse
Electric Company (Cranberry Township, PA) in the amount of $420,000; Elysium Industries (Clifton Park, NY) in the amount of $500,000;
NexDefense (Atlanta, GA) in the amount of $400,000; Exelon Generation (Kennett Square, PA) in the amount of $480,000; and Eastman Chemical
Company (Kingsport, TN) in the amount of $350,000.
Further detail and description of these awards can be found under the GAIN website.
GAIN website.

More information on the Office of Nuclear Energy and its programs can be found here.

###

For Immediate Release Date: October 25, 2018

News Media Contact: Erik Simpson (208) 390-9464

Investigation into Cause of April 11 Drum Event at INL Site Concludes

Idaho Falls, ID. - Fluor Idaho LLC, cleanup contractor at
the Department of Energy's Idaho National Laboratory Site,
recently completed an investigation into the cause of an April
11 event where four radioactive waste drums experienced
excessive pressure and ejected their lids and contents following
transuranic waste processing and repackaging. There were no
injuries or release of radioactive materials to the environment
during the incident. DOE provided oversight of all stages of the
investigation.

Based on more than five months of analysis and testing of actual waste material by two independent laboratories, an investigation team has concluded the drum breach incident was caused by a reactive metal with radionuclides heating up after coming into contact with air for the first time in nearly 40 years. This heating up of the reactive metal started a secondary reaction that caused a rapid rise in pressure inside each drum, resulting in the ejection of their lids.

The April 11 event happened at the Radioactive Waste Management Complex’s Accelerated Retrieval Project V facility which, since 2012, had safely processed and compliantly repackaged approximately 9,500 drums of sludge-contaminated waste that originated at the former Rocky Flats Plant near Denver, Colorado. Cleanup inside of the ARP V enclosure continues. Crews wearing appropriate personnel protective equipment continue to clean the interior of the facility.

The April 11 event has prompted changes across the Accelerated Retrieval Project. Fluor Idaho revised the waste exhumation and repackaging process with additional controls to mitigate the risk of a similar event. The controls include raking and 24-hour thermal monitoring of sludge waste prior to repackaging. There have been no further incidents. Fluor Idaho and DOE-ID continue to identify and implement additional corrective actions, based on the investigation results, to reinforce safety culture and bolster oversight of waste processes.

Fluor Idaho, LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Fluor Corporation with subcontractor partners comprised of CH2M, North Wind Inc., Portage, and Waste Control Specialists. Fluor Idaho manages the Idaho Cleanup Project Core contract at the Department of Energy’s Idaho Site located 45 miles west of Idaho Falls. The 5-year, $1.4 billion project, funded through the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management, focuses on early risk reduction and protection of the Snake River Plain Aquifer.

The Department of Energy (DOE) is
pleased with today’s vote to proceed with the construction of Vogtle
3&4. This historic project will be the first large scale nuclear
utility project completed in the United States in over 30 years and
will reaffirm America’s international leadership in nuclear
technology and provide a reliable, clean power source for decades to
come. DOE hopes the successful completion of this project will mark
the beginning of a nuclear renaissance in America.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Secretary of Energy Rick Perry today announced today the Department of Energy (DOE) has selected nine domestic projects to
receive nearly $20 million in funding for cost-shared research and development for advanced nuclear technologies. These awards are through the Office of
Nuclear Energy’s (NE) funding opportunity announcement (FOA) U.S. Industry Opportunities for Advanced Nuclear Technology Development and are the second
group selected under this solicitation.
The first group
was announced on April 27, 2018.

Subsequent quarterly application review and selection processes will be conducted over the next five years.
The Department intends to apply approximately $30 million of additional FY 2018 funding to the next quarterly
award cycle for innovative proposals under this FOA.

These activities are important because they support various aspects of existing and advanced reactor development,
and they establish domestic capabilities for safer, more efficient, clean baseload energy that will support the U.S.
economy and energy independence.

“DOE is investing in advanced nuclear technologies, because we are looking to the future. Nuclear energy is a critical
part of our all-of-the-above energy strategy for the country, and early-stage research can help ensure it will continue
to be a clean, reliable, and resilient source of electricity,” said Secretary Perry.

These awards are examples of the private-public partnerships needed to help successfully develop innovative domestic nuclear technologies.
The projects will allow industry-led teams, which include participants from federal agencies, public and private laboratories,
institutions of higher education, and other domestic entities, to advance the state of U.S. commercial nuclear capability.
The solicitation is broken into three funding pathways:

1. First-of-a-Kind (FOAK) Nuclear Demonstration Readiness Project pathway, intended to address major advanced reactor design development
projects or complex technology advancements for existing plants which have significant technical and licensing risk and have the potential to be
deployed by the mid-to-late 2020s.

2. Advanced Reactor Development Projects pathway, which allows a broad scope of proposed concepts and ideas that are best suited to improving the
capabilities and commercialization potential of advanced reactor designs and technologies.

DOE is also announcing voucher awards selected under the Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear (GAIN) initiative. All awards selected under this FOA
and the GAIN Voucher Request for Assistance (RFA) will be funded under existing NE programs.

The following project was selected under the FOAK Nuclear Demonstration Readiness Project pathway:

Calendar Year 2018 Activities for Phase 2 of NuScale Small Modular Reactor project – NuScale Power (Corvallis, OR) will build on Phase 1 project
activities to advance the licensing and design maturity to meet a commercial operation date of 2026 for the first NuScale plant. The specific project
scope being funded represents calendar year 2018 activities associated with the next phase (Phase 2) of the U.S. product realization effort required to
bring the NuScale design to market. Specific project activities include completion of the independent verification and validation licensing report;
completion of the reactor building design optimization; and conduct of level sensor prototypic testing. There is potential for extension of this award
to complete calendar year 2019 activities associated with Phase II of the NuScale project if the 2018 activities are completed successfully.
DOE Funding: $7,000,000; Non-DOE: $7,100,000; Total Value: $14,100,000

The following five projects were selected under the Advanced Reactor Development Projects pathway:

Conceptual Engineering for a Small Modular Reactor Power Plant Based on Lead-Bismuth Fast Reactor (LBFR) Technology – This work proposed by Columbia Basin Consulting Group (Kennewick, WA) aims to develop a pre-conceptual design and preliminary cost estimate for a lead-bismuth small modular reactor. DOE Funding: $400,000; Non-DOE: $100,000; Total: $500,000

Reactor Plant Cost Reduction to Compete with Natural Gas Fired Electrical Generation –
Under this proposal, GE-Hitachi Nuclear Energy (Wilmington, NC) will examine ways to reduce reactor plant construction and maintenance costs
on their BWRX-300 small light water reactor concept through (a) elimination of Loss of Coolant Accidents (LOCAs), (b) the use of an embedded
(below grade) design and construction and (c) the use of pooled off-site resources that can be applied simultaneously at multiple sites.
DOE Funding: $1,925,038; Non-DOE: $481,260; Total Value: $2,406,298

Experimental Verification of Post-Accident Integrated Pressurized Water Reactor (iPWR) Aerosol Behavior, Phase 3 –
The Electric Power Research Institute (Palo Alto, CA) will further improve the models used to estimate the post-accident radionuclide releases
from integral pressurized water reactors (iPWRs) with a goal of reducing regulatory requirements for emergency planning zones.
DOE Funding: $1,119,699; Non-DOE: $279,923; Total Value: $1,399,622

Fluorination of Lithium Fluoride-Beryllium Fluoride (FLiBe) Molten Salt Processing – Flibe Energy (Huntsville, AL) has teamed with
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (Richland, WA) to examine the use of nitrogen trifluoride as an agent to remove uranium from a
molten-salt fuel mixture as a preliminary step for the removal of fission products. DOE Funding: $2,101,982; Non-DOE: $525,500;
Total Value: $2,627,482

Advancing and Commercializing Hybrid Laser Arc Welding (HLAW) for Nuclear Vessel Fabrication, Including Small Modular Reactors –
Holtec International (Camden, NJ) will advance hybrid laser arc welding for use in fabrication of small modular reactors and other nuclear
components to achieve improvements in the reliability, quality and cost associated with traditional multi-pass welding.
DOE Funding: $6,314,612; Non-DOE: $6,314,612; Total Value: $12,629,224

The following project was selected under the Regulatory Assistance Grant pathway:

Finally, DOE has selected two companies to receive GAIN technology development vouchers in this second review cycle.
The companies selected are Yellowstone Energy (Knoxville, TN) in the amount of $160,000, and ThorCon US (Stevenson, WA) in the amount of $400,000.
Further detail and description of these awards can be found under the GAIN website.

NE funds research, development, and demonstration projects to reduce the risk and cost of advanced nuclear technologies, and to improve nuclear energy’s contribution
to meeting the nation’s economic, energy security, and environmental challenges. More information on the Office of Nuclear Energy and its programs can be found here.

###

Press Release

News Media Contact: (202) 586-4940

For Immediate Release: April 27, 2018

Secretary of Energy Rick Perry Announces $60 Million for U.S. Industry Awards in Support of Advanced Nuclear Technology Development

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Secretary of Energy Rick Perry announced today that the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has selected 13 projects to receive approximately $60 million in federal
funding for cost-shared research and development for advanced nuclear technologies. These selections are the first under DOE’s Office of Nuclear Energy’s U.S. Industry Opportunities
for Advanced Nuclear Technology Development funding opportunity announcement (FOA), and subsequent quarterly application review and selection processes will be conducted over the next
five years. DOE intends to apply up to $40 million of additional FY 2018 funding to the next two quarterly award cycles for innovative proposals under this FOA.

“Promoting early-stage investment in advanced nuclear power technology will support a strong, domestic, nuclear energy industry now and into the future,” said Secretary Perry.
“Making these new investments is an important step to reviving and revitalizing nuclear energy, and ensuring that our nation continues to benefit from this clean, reliable,
resilient source of electricity. Supporting existing as well as advanced reactor development will pave the way to a safer, more efficient, and clean baseload energy that supports
the U.S. economy and energy independence.”

The selected awards underscore the importance of the private-public partnerships engaged in by U.S. companies in order to share expertise needed to successfully develop innovative
nuclear technologies. The projects will allow industry-led teams, which include participants from federal agencies, public and private laboratories, institutions of higher education,
and other domestic entities, to advance the state of U.S. commercial nuclear capability.

This FOA covers three innovative funding pathways:

1. First-of-a-Kind (FOAK) Nuclear Demonstration Readiness Project pathway, intended to address major advanced reactor design development projects or complex technology
advancements for existing plants which have significant technical and licensing risk and have the potential to be deployed by the mid-to-late 2020s.
2. Advanced Reactor Development Projects pathway, which allows a broad scope of proposed concepts and ideas that are best suited to improving the capabilities and commercialization
potential of advanced reactor designs and technologies.
3. Regulatory Assistance Grants, which provide direct support for resolving design regulatory issues, regulatory review of licensing topical reports or papers, and other efforts focused on obtaining
certification and licensing approvals for advanced reactor designs and capabilities.

As part of DOE’s commitment to supporting U.S. industry through private-public technical partnerships for nuclear energy innovation, the Department is also announcing technical voucher
awards to U.S. companies selected under the Department’s Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear (GAIN) initiative.

The following two projects were selected under the FOAK Nuclear Demonstration Readiness Project Pathway:

Establishment of an integrated advanced manufacturing and data science driven paradigm for advanced reactor systems – BWXT Nuclear Energy, Inc. (Lynchburg, VA).
This project will develop the ability to implement Additive Materials Manufacturing to the fabrication process for nuclear components and sub-components that will yield acceptable
material structure and strength that can be accepted by the national code organizations and the regulator.
DOE Funding: $5,400,000; Non-DOE: $4,415,000; Total Value: $9,815,000

DOE has selected five U.S. companies to receive GAIN technology development vouchers in this first review cycle. The companies selected and the DOE contribution to the cost-shared vouchers
are Terrestrial Energy, USA in New York, NY ($500,000); Vega Wave Systems, Inc. in West Chicago, IL ($130,000); Oklo, Inc. in Sunnyvale, CA ($417,000);
Urbix Resources, LLC in Mesa, AZ ($320,000); and ThorCon US, Inc. in Stevenson, WA ($400,000)

More information on the GAIN initiative awards can be found HERE.
More information on the Office of Nuclear Energy and its programs can be found HERE.

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho — In December, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) decided to extend its contract with Battelle Energy Alliance (BEA)
to manage and operate Idaho National Laboratory (INL). This week, DOE officially approved the contract modification that enables a
five-year extension through Sept. 30, 2024. This followed a successful negotiation between DOE and BEA on terms and conditions of the INL contract.

The contract extension complies with Executive Order 13777, Enforcing the Regulatory Reform Agenda, issued by President Trump on Feb. 24, 2017
directing agencies to eliminate unnecessary regulatory burdens, and reflects DOE’s initiative to reform management and operating contracts.
This has been accomplished by granting greater authority and accountability to the site contractor and eliminating contractual redundancies.
This is all enabled by the outstanding partnership between DOE and INL.

“The agreed-upon terms bring clarity to what is expected of BEA and INL in the next several years,” INL Director Mark Peters said.
“The ultimate outcome is that INL is even better-positioned to serve the American taxpayer by helping resolve the nation’s big energy
and security challenges.”

"It's rewarding to see the positive impact we have on Idaho's economy," INL Director Mark Peters said. "Ultimately, that means we are improving the lives of all Idahoans and their communities."

DOE originally awarded BEA the management contract in November 2004, when INL was created. That contract ran from Feb. 1, 2005 until Sept. 30,
2014. At that point, DOE exercised a five-year option period that was set to expire Sept. 30, 2019. With the new five-year extension, BEA is
contracted to operate and manage INL through Sept. 30, 2024.

DOE originally awarded BEA the management contract in November 2004, when INL was created. That contract ran from Feb. 1, 2005 until Sept. 30, 2014.
At that point, DOE exercised a five-year option period that was set to expire Sept. 30, 2019. With the new five-year extension, BEA is contracted to
operate and manage INL through Sept. 30, 2024.

Some key INL initiatives during the term of the contract extension will include:

Providing world-class nuclear science and technology capabilities to the nation, including the Advanced Test Reactor (ATR), Transient Reactor Test Facility (TREAT), and the Materials and Fuels Complex (MFC), to revitalize the nuclear energy sector in the United States.

Continuing research and development on advanced reactor designs, including partnering with the private sector to develop and demonstrate microreactor technologies for potentially powering remote communities and military bases around the world. This work will also include partnerships with industry and other stakeholders to develop and deploy the next generation of nuclear reactors including small modular reactors (SMRs).

Improving upon INL’s world-leading cyber security capabilities and expertise, including efforts to make the nation’s power grids, transportation and water systems more resilient from cyber, physical and natural threats.

Extending the electric vehicle corridor in the west, including longer-lived batteries and improved charging infrastructure.

Continuing support for biofuels research and turning captured carbon into usable products, something that could help the nation’s coal plants reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Promoting STEM education and working with our college and university partners to fill the pipeline of potential future employees with talented scientists, engineers, technicians and support personnel.

And finally, productive partnerships with academia, industry, and federal, state and local governments that allow us to solve complex problems while driving economic growth and making American industry more competitive on a global scale, now and into the future.

INL is one of the DOE’s national laboratories. The laboratory performs work in each of DOE’s strategic goal areas: energy, national security, science and environment. INL is the nation’s leading center for nuclear energy research and development. Day-to-day management and operation of the laboratory is the responsibility of Battelle Energy Alliance.